Corrupt Union Longshoremen Will Hasten Port and Industry Automation

Frida Ghitis : U.S. economy is in the hands of racketeering union thugs threatening to shut down ports.

She says the union boss for the International Longshoremen’s Association , Harold Daggett , is accused of Mafia ties.

Ghitis says the strike would have potentially cost the American economy nearly $5 billion a day.

She asks: Why does part of the union's “bargaining” involve a demand that some longshoremen cannot be replaced by machines?.

In the late 1700s , 90% of Americans worked in agriculture; today , 10% work in agriculture, and food has never been more plentiful.

Frida Ghitis: The Industrial Revolution was, beyond any legitimate dispute, the greatest advancement of material well-being for humankind in all its history.

She says U.S. ports rank among the worst ports on Earth in terms of efficiency, according to a 2021 World Bank Group study.

Ghitis says the Port of Oakland , for example, is ranked 359 out of 370 in that study.